On Poet Rupi Kaur

This week I read two e-books by Rupi Kaur, an author who’s name I’ve heard before, but know nothing of, and knew nothing of her poetry style and outspoken voice. I read Home Body because the title I can relate to as I take time off of work, focusing on writing and testing for my Nursing Assistant certification. She isn’t afraid to talk about her trauma and the emotions it still stirs up for her- the pain she still feels: in a detailed manner. This woman is daring especially with her illustrations. She’s a daughter of migrant workers and comes to tell the story of each family members struggle in The Sun and her Flowers. I could relate to her poetry to and about her family, the relationship disillusionment she carried with her, and learning self-love and what her future partner might be like.

Most of her poetry seems to be written in prose- with a few ending lines that rhyme afterward and into the next chapter. She writes odes to historical poems. I bought her book Healing Through Words, and realized it’s a creative writing prompt. One of the exercises is to write a few descriptions of how her illustration makes you feel, and the one I remember is a hand holding a candle. It’s about exploring your emotions, bringing up your trauma in a way that you can express it safely and finding healing words about yourself and the world. She really knows how to break down writing the emotions, descriptions into lines, and how to make your lines flow into stanzas. Her walk-through instructions prepare a writer in a practical way.

First I read Home Body, written in 2020, then The Sun and Her Flowers, and I’ve been reading the first three chapters of Milk and Honey from 2014. An interesting poem I read was what is called list poetry.

Her poetry is soft and sharp, simple and bold and emotionally relatable with themes to mindfully ponder upon. I couldn’t stop reading; the more I read the more I enjoyed her voice.

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